Gone to God

Ever since iconic historian Bell I. Wiley broke Civil War literary ground with his The Life of Johnny Reb (published in 1943), the voices of individual soldiers—and by extension, their families and contemporaries—have played an important role in telling the story about America’s transformative conflict. The story of the Towles brothers of the 4th Virginia Cavalry—told primarily in their own words—is in that same tradition. More recently, Drew Gilpin Faust, in her acclaimed book, This Republic of Suffering, charted the impact death and dying had on our nation during and after the war. This book is a microcosm of that study, examining how one family dealt with loss and remembrance. Built on unpublished, original source materials, Gone to God: A Civil War Family’s Ultimate Sacrifice tells in intimate detail of loss on a personal level, something with which we all can empathize. Because of this, the story of the Towles brothers resonates today, 150 years after their deaths.

Ever since iconic historian Bell I. Wiley broke Civil War literary ground with his The Life of Johnny Reb (published in 1943), the voices of individual soldiers—and by extension, their families and contemporaries—have played an important role in telling the story about America’s transformative conflict. The story of the Towles brothers of the 4th Virginia Cavalry—told primarily in their own words—is in that same tradition. More recently, Drew Gilpin Faust, in her acclaimed book, This Republic of Suffering, charted the impact death and dying had on our nation during and after the war. This book is a microcosm of that study, examining how one family dealt with loss and remembrance. Built on unpublished, original source materials, Gone to God: A Civil War Family’s Ultimate Sacrifice tells in intimate detail of loss on a personal level, something with which we all can empathize. Because of this, the story of the Towles brothers resonates today, 150 years after their deaths.

KEITH KEHLBECK is a writer, historian, and marketing consultant with clients in the hospitality, nonprofit, and publishing sectors. He currently serves as Executive Director for DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America). His clients have included the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Schuler’s Restaurant & Pub, Inns Magazine, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For eight years, he served as Director of Marketing and Communications and then Executive Director for Select Registry, Distinguished Inns of North America, the premier marketing association for the upscale innkeeping industry. He has served on various boards, including the regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, the local Chamber of Commerce, and the Marshall Historical Society (serving as its Chair). From the time his family took a cross-country bus trip to visit Gettysburg on vacation when he was 10 years old, he has been fascinated by the War Between the States, its personalities, participants, and details. His wife Ali and their daughter Emma share his interest, if not quite his level of passion for the topic. They live in Marshall, Michigan—“the City of Hospitality”—but have a second home in the Northern Neck of Virginia.